Maryland police eye possible drug connection in Frederick death

Maryland State Police investigators are looking into a possible drug connection in the death of a Frederick man found in the trunk of his car.

The body of John P. Ryan, 37, was in the trunk of his 2007 Lexus LS460L. Police said Ryan's body showed signs of trauma, but they would not elaborate. The body was taken to the Office of the State Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations agent found the car at about 2:30 p.m. Monday in a parking lot shared by several businesses in the 15000 block of Somerville Drive in Derwood. It was towed to the Maryland State Police Rockville barrack, where a search warrant was served on the car and police found Ryan's body. Also found in the car were about a pound of marijuana and an undisclosed amount of cash.

State police and members of the Frederick County Narcotics Task Force had been searching for Ryan since Thursday after his wife reported him missing.

She said she last saw him the night of Nov. 27 and believes he left before she woke the next morning, according to police.--

Edgar Pineda, of Auto Center Repair and Service, one of the businesses that shares the parking lot, said through an interpreter that he was frightened when he saw between five and seven law enforcement officers gathered around the car. Pineda said the area is generally peaceful and has little crime.

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Authorities were unwilling to reveal many details of the investigation Tuesday, but Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said investigators were looking at the possibility of a drug connection.--

"Investigators are not ruling anything out right now," Shipley said. "They found about a pound of marijuana and cash in the car. You certainly have to consider that possibility."

Shipley declined to elaborate on why the narcotics task force was asked to take part in the search. He said the involvement of the FBI and Homeland Security, which have agents on the task force, was related to its role in the case. The DHS agent who found Ryan's car was a member of the task force.

"I can't be more specific than to say that we often enlist the help of other entities if we need personnel, expertise or manpower assistance," Shipley said.--

DHS spokeswoman Nicole Navas declined to comment on specifics of the agency's role in the investigation.

"Homeland Security Investigations agents routinely work closely with local and state law enforcement agencies in Maryland to uphold public safety and protect national security with a focus to identifying, disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations engaged in the trafficking of money, narcotics, weapons and other types of contraband," Navas wrote in an email Tuesday.

Ryan was the owner of The Ryan Properties LLC, which specializes in property maintenance. The address of the business is listed as Ryan's home. Police said Ryan frequently traveled throughout Maryland, Washington and Virginia for business.--

Ryan's business was listed with the Maryland Department of Assessment and Taxation as "Not in Good Standing." The designation means the company did not file the current year's annual report or personal property return, or it owes a late filing penalty.

Louis King, who lives across the street from Ryan's home in the 1500 block of Laurel Wood Way, said he worked for Ryan's company a few summers ago doing pressure washing and other maintenance work. King said he was shocked when he heard about Ryan's death.

"He was a great guy to work with," King said. "He loved his family. It was very sad to find out he's passed."

King said he was surprised by the circumstances of Ryan's disappearance and death, including the marijuana and the involvement of the drug task force in the case.

"That's crazy," he said. "I had no idea about that."

Julie Miller, a neighbor of the Ryans, said she's known them and has been friends with Ryan and his wife since they moved into the neighborhood about eight or nine years ago, before the Ryans married and started their family.

Miller said the two families gathered for special occasions with friends, and her husband played football and basketball with Ryan. Miller's children played with Ryan's two daughters, ages 2 and 7, she said.

"This has just been a very sad day," she said. "We care about them a great deal."

The Ryans were Christians involved in their church and community, she said.

Miller said she's never had any reason to suspect Ryan was involved in any illegal activity, including during the past two years when she worked from home and never witnessed a single incident that seemed unusual.

"There are still too many unanswered questions," Miller said of the bizarre circumstances surrounding Ryan's death. "I hope they find the person responsible."